Shika no Kami
by Huntress of Eclipse
Summary: A spirit - that's what she was in this world she fell into - a mass of concentrated spiritual chakra, undying and untouchable. She was here because of Kaguya, and only Kaguya can bring her back. She wandered around, waiting, and waiting, and waiting... Waiting for Kaguya to fulfill her promise, the promise to bring her back home. SI-OC
1. Shika no Kami

**The Princess**

_It is for the peace of the world_, Kaguya Otsutsuki convinced herself as she looked at the fruit from the tree.

Her hands reached up to the fruit – the red fruit her clan had been protecting for years and years – and plucked it. The fruit was no heavier than a regular apple. In fact, Kaguya thought that she won't be able to tell the difference between the Fruit of the Divine Tree with a regular apple if not for the fact that the Fruit was blood red.

_Blood of the humans, spilled, and absorbed by this huge God Tree._

Her lips went closer to the fruit, her breaths erratic. This was forbidden. She was not supposed to do this.

_But it was for peace, for war to stop._

At first it was just one bite, and the sour-sweetness of the fruit permeated her tongue, but there was this taste – the taste of blood – that made her weary of eating the fruit.

But nothing happened. The fruit that was supposed to grant her unbelievable power did nothing to her.

Kaguya took another bite, then another, and another, the sour-sweetness of the Fruit entrancing her tongue. By the time she realized, the fruit was no longer in her hands.

But still nothing happened.

Kaguya scowled, disappointed at the lack of reaction from eating the Fruit of the Divine Tree.

There was a crack from the hole of the cave where the Tree stood, followed by another crack of thunder and the rush of wind. Kaguya screamed in pain – not because of the earthquake, not because of the storm – as her body twisted and churned.

_It was painful_

There was a rip of something – another dimension? – and slowly, surely, the Divine Tree, the tree that was supposed to be static and unmoving, _danced_.

Then, all of the chaos ended as suddenly as it started. Kaguya slowly gained back her bearing, feeling the slight trickle of power growing inside her. Her breaths came in heavy, labored, breath as she propped her body with her arms.

When Kaguya looked up, the Divine Tree was no longer in front of her.

And in place of the Divine Tree, lies a woman – an unconscious woman.

**.o0o.o0o.**

The woman was like a wisp of colored smoke. Kaguya could see her, but any attempt to touch the strange woman to help her somehow failed. Kaguya's hand passed through her, just like how it would in air. She searched for ways to carry her to an appropriate place for a lady to rest, but anything that comes into contact with the strange woman, either it be a wooden stick or her chakra, passed her like nothing.

So she settled on waiting the woman to wake up.

The woman, as Kaguya later found out, was from an entirely new dimension, which explains her spirit-like body.

It was a dimension where people tried to avoid war when possible, a dimension where the lands were divided into several mainland with the names such as 'America', 'Asia', 'Europe' and 'Africa'. A place where the buildings can reach the height of the Divine Tree. A world where humans are completely powerless, but was capable of creating things called technology that serves them as entertainment and aide and transport.

And Kaguya found herself intrigued by such world.

It was a world where the universal language that Kaguya used was labeled as Japanese, originating from Japan, which was located in Asia. And that this… 'Japanese Language' was one of the many languages in the strange woman's world.

The woman – Jessica Huang – hailed from a land called 'Korea', also located in Asia. It was by chance that the dimension traveler knew the bare basics of this 'Japanese' language, or else Kaguya wouldn't have understood a thing the other girl said.

She'll have to further educate her in this language, if only so that this stranger will tell her more stories about her world.

Kaguya brought her to this world, this woman is her responsibility. She'll teach her, protect her, and find a way for her to return to the other world. This was a small price compared to the peace of her world.

**.o0o.o0o.**

"_Kaguya, don't you think it's weird?"_

"_What is weird, my dear Traveler?"_

"_You ate such a divine fruit but still required human necessities such as sleep and food, and yet I, a mere normal human who cannot even hope to do feats like you, does not require them?"_

"_My dear, you forgot, you are a traveler who was summoned the day the Divine Tree disappeared."_

"_I missed touching something… feeling the wind, eating foods, the feel of sunlight. I missed my world, were I can just manage my online shops and wait for cash to come."_

"_Shhh, child, I'll make sure to return you home. Don't worry, I'll rip through every dimension to find your home. This is one promise I will never forget."_

**.o0o.o0o.**

**The Nine Tailed**

When he first opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of his fellow brethren - the Tailed Beast, his mind supplied – all huddled around in a circle surrounding a grey skinned human with horns.

He stretched his paws forward, feeling the relief when his back cracked, before he straightened again.

"Now, you need a name, don't you? It's unpleasant to be labeled as only the Tailed Beast."

And he was named Kurama, Kurama the Nine-Tailed Fox. He purred happily when the human – now known as Hagoromo Otsutsuki – scratched a certain spot behind his ears.

His ears twitched when he heard a sudden chuckle of a presence he had not noticed. His head swiveled to the direction of the sound, his eyes rested on another human, but this human was smaller and does not have the grey skin Hagoromo has. Instead, this human's hair of many color, from blonde in the roots of the hair, to light brown, to a darker brown, before ending in a strong blood red.

"They are not as what I've imagined," this other human chuckled, "They are cute, and not as big as I've imagined!"

His human – Hagoromo – sighed. "You cannot rely on the story you liked to read before you came to this world."

The other human chuckled, approaching them before resting the hands on the head of Shukaku the One-Tailed Raccoon of the sand, only for the hand to pass through. The human scowled, before shrugging and twirling away with wisps of smoke. "I only know how they'll be when they are all grown up, so to see them as cute as this… I can't really help it."

"Just remember that you are not allowed to change the future," Hagoromo said, "Not unless it will end in world destruction."

"2 of your descendants will be saving the world by that time. I was just offering a chance to prevent all of that from happening, but since you are against it…"

"There's no guarantee that the world will be truly safe. There might be other threats."

"Okay, okay. I don't want to listen to another one of your lecture, old man."

"I'm not old."

"Think what you will, Sage of Six Path."

And with that, the human turned around and disappeared in wisps.

**.o0o.o0o.**

_It's odd…_

_It's been about 70 years, she had drifted along in this world – the Naruto world, a famous story back in her home world. Kaguya was dead, but she knew Kaguya will return back with vengeance in the far far future. Her hope to leave this world was now gone, she continued to drift aimlessly, but she had never needed to sleep and eat in the past 50 years, and yet now…_

_Now… her eyes where feeling heavy, as if she wanted to sleep…_

_She welcomed the now-foreign feeling of sleepiness, curling herself in the soft covers of the leaves, drowsing into nothingness._

_When she reopened her eyes, she realized she had spent about 50 years in deep slumber._

"_Ahh… it seems my body followed a different rule for time."_

**.o0o.o0o.**

Kurama hadn't remembered much of his first meeting with the human – he was still young, and he understood only the bare basics of the human tongue. So in the next meeting with the human – even when the meeting was rather unexpected – he finally identified the human as a woman.

"Fancy seeing you here wrecking havoc."

Surprised by the presence, Kurama had tried to lash at her, thinking that she was one of those humans warring against each other and disturbing his rest. Thankfully, the human reacted quickly enough and disappeared in wisps, very much like how Kurama saw the first time, before appearing once more not far from him.

"You live stubbornly long for a human," Kurama stated absentmindedly. It has been about two century since his birth, and if his knowledge about humans served him right, she should be dead right now. Even Hagoromo, who he heard from human legend as one of the strongest, became wrinkly and passed away. This woman shouldn't be any different.

"I do," the woman hummed, looking around at the corpses littered around from his earlier outburst. "Do you know that these people are Hagoromo's grand-grand-grand-something-children?"

"Is that so?" Kurama asked, unrepentant of his deeds, "Their skins are white, not grey like Hagoromo. And they don't have horns."

The human just chuckled. "Their skin will lose their white color to the normal human tone as they give birth. It was a sign that the Otsutsuki blood in their veins are disappearing. The one with red eyes are Indra's descendant. The one that can change and summon wood are Azura's descendant. They will continue to war against each other."

"Hmph. As if I care."

"Geez, you were so cute back then. But now that you've grown, your attitude has also grown. You shouldn't have slaughtered humans like that."

"Humans are puny. They are weak and annoying. Look, you are only slightly taller than my knees." To prove his point, he rested his paw on the ground beside the human and measured her height. "See?"

The human sighed. "Fine, fine. Do what you wish then."

It was only after the human disappeared that Kurama remembered to ask her for her name.

**.o0o.o0o.**

_She was in a panic._

_There was a girl, in front of her, unconscious, and slowly dying of blood loss._

_And she can't do a god damn thing because she was just that – a ghost, an apparition, someone who will pass through any object and continue to float in air._

_But she continued to hover around her, until she accidentally lost her balance in air, her body falling into the unconscious girl's body._

_And then she could feel it, the breezes of the wind, the dancing grass, the pain in her head where the blood was dripping._

_She ignored the exhilarating sensation of being able to feel once more in favor of going to the nearby village._

**.o0o.o0o.**

Their third meeting was hundreds of years later, in a place that all the Tailed Beasts considered as home. Kurama had stayed here for the first 100 years since the death of Hagoromo before he had gotten bored and decided to go out of the barrier.

It was the Main Otsutsuki Clan compound, in the depths of the earth, protected by the thick barriers that all the Otsutsuki clan members helped put up before they disappeared. It was cut off from the world, as if this place was an entirely new dimension. No human knew of this place, and the barriers prepared the illusions, traps and protection against the outside world, not to mention the fact that it was a huge underground cave, with no connection to the upper ground save some well guarded secret entrances and a huge, well hidden hole that showed the moon.

It was the only place that the Tailed Beast agreed to not fight in.

Kurama lied on the clearing, head swiveling around to take in the sight that he had left long ago. There were those old human houses made of stones and wood, but the woods are old and rotting. Then to his right was a lake he didn't remember existed. Water dripped from the cave stalactites into the lake. Curious, he stood up and approached the lake.

The water in the lake was red. Blood red.

Kurama leaned his head forward to the water and sniffed at the water.

"It's blood. You don't need to smell it."

Kurama turned around in surprise, his gaze landed on a familiar human before he growled. "You shouldn't do that."

"I didn't mean to do this." The human smiled, "I am naturally unnoticeable. Hagoromo and your siblings have trouble to spot where I am. You're not the only one."

Kurama faced the lake once more, ignoring the puny human as she talked.

"I was blending in well with a certain clan, possessing the poor soul of a girl," the human continued, "It was just yesterday that I went out to collect the berries for the clan, and then when I went back to the clan compound, I found it in ruins under Shukaku! After I talked to him, I found out that he destroyed my temporary clan because of you! I had to leave the girl's body because her mentality took a huge hit!"

"Me? And what did I do to deserve that accusation?"

"Shukaku said that Kurama believes that the number of tails determines the strength. And Shukaku told me that if that is so, doesn't that mean he will be the weakest among the Tailed Beasts? That was why he started razing around like crazy! You are the root!"

"It is the truth. I am the strongest."

The human sighed as she walked closer to the lake, mumbling something about 'insufferable stubborn beasts'.

"Shinju, the Divine Tree, used to stand here, protected by the Otsutsuki Clan." The human said as she gestured the vast lake. "The tree grew from the spilled blood of the humans all over the world. The blood was absorbed by the ground, and was brought down here through the stalactites and stalagmites."

Kurama had heard of Shinju. Hagoromo said that it was a tree that bears a powerful fruit. But Hagoromo had never mentioned about the Otsutsuki's protection.

"So where is the tree now?" Kurama asked, curious.

"The tree is in several places now." the human said as she pointed up to the moon. "One of the places is up there."

"And the other places?"

"Somewhere in this earth, prowling," the human said as she stared at him, as if taunting him with something that only she knows. "Who knows? They kept on travelling, but I do know of the current location of one piece of the tree. Though I am not telling you."

Kurama clicked his tongue.

"Hagoromo had never mentioned how you were born, hasn't he?"

Kurama shook his head.

"Then it is no place for me to tell you. I need to go in search of another human civilization, and another poor body to possess. See you next time then."

"Wait! Human. Your name."

The human stopped from her steps. "Hmm?"

"What is your name, human."

"My name is Jessica Huang. Just call me Shika, because my name is unusual in this world."

With that, the human, now known as Shika – Deer - , disappeared in wisps.

**.o0o.o0o.**

_She no longer bothered to keep track of the time she spent in this world. The only thing she looked forward to is only the return of Kaguya, which was still far in the future._

_Her wish remained the same, she wanted to go home, to stop this mess and return to her beloved routine of earning online cash, and only Kaguya proofed capable of ripping dimensions._

_She found out she can possess any human, so she possessed an unlucky soul, changing bodies as they got old or close to death. She may be a ghost, but she yearned the little things like human contacts, the feel of nature, a slight pain, everything a normal human needs to do._

_She would've gotten insane without these little things. It reminded her that she was human._

_The only time she didn't possess someone was when she had gotten sleepy –truly sleepy- after about 70 years, a cue for her to slumber for about the next 50 years. It was at this period that she returned to the Otsutsuki Cave and sleeps her share._

**.o0o.o0o.**

**The Ghostly Traveler**

It was one of the rare times that she was without any host while being awake.

Usually, when she was without any physical body, she was always careful to not appear in any human view. She had always watched out, careful to hide.

That was why it came as a shocker to her when a couple of merchants burst into one of her well hidden caves, hidden under an old tree, shielded by its roots and the surrounding grass.

The merchants, two men in their prime, together with a teenage girl, were all disheveled, clothes torn, scratches here and there, occasional bruise, their hands holding some sturdy and luxurious box, perhaps some sort of treasure inside…

Shika contemplated of possessing the teenage girl or the younger man, but she shook her head at the thought. Possessing someone when there are other people in the vicinity doesn't bode really well for her. She might need to kill those she does not possess, and killing had always left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Well, what do we have here, runaway heirs of a prominent clan?" Shika leaned forward for a better look of the trespassers. "What's inside this pretty little box, hmm?"

Without any sort of warning, the oldest and fattest one took out his huge fist and charged at her. Shika calmly took the attack, letting the huge brawler pass through her harmlessly.

And then it was followed by the girl, who calmly collected some sort of black substance into the form of a scythe, twisting the scythe as to off her. The scythe passed through her harmlessly.

That was when Shika realized that the girl was actually materializing her shadow.

Shadow.

_Nara Clan_

The fat one

_Akimichi Clan_

Then the last one, who didn't involved himself directly in the fight, whose eyes kept on observing and watching for a slight weakness.

_Yamanaka Clan_

Shika laughed, causing the whole occupant of the cave to freeze in astonishment.

"How about let us stop this fight?" Shika offered, "Since you've proven yourself interesting, I'll help you little runaways."

Right now, the only one who has their own clan's special skills was the Nara ancestor. The Akimichi and Yamanaka ancestor doesn't seem to have any special ninja skills their descendants will have.

The Yamanaka ancestor stepped up, "Our Young Mistress is the Kuroikage heir, Mina Kuroikage, and our other companion is Chouga while I am Inozumi. The both of us serve the Young Mistress."

Her guess is right.

As it turns out, Kuroikage is a well known merchant family, but was recently wiped out by ninjas. It just happens that the Kuroikage teaches their young with a technique they had accidentally found out, the technique of chakra control to mold the shadow. It was only thanks to this that the Young Mistress managed to escape.

The Young Mistress swore on revenge, and that she will rebuild her clan.

And Shika offers her help.

**.o0o.o0o.**

_The Young Mistress had her wishes fulfilled. She settled down and has a family of her own. The same goes to her two faithful body guards._

_To forever remember the spirit that had aided her, she built a shrine in remembrance and thanks. The shrine was guarded and well taken care of, even after hundreds of years passed._

_To forever remind her descendants of the spirit that had rebuilt her clan, she created the tradition of naming the clan heirs with the name 'Shika'._

_And in her obsession with 'Shika', she grows an obsession with Deers, and she scourge for the Deer Summoning Scrolls._

_What used to be a clan of merchants rose in power and name, becoming one of the rare families of 'blessed' people, their business smooth sailing, and their powers evolving._

_They spread the word of a wandering spirit who grants wishes, who brings fortunes to their family._

_And the story reached far and beyond. Many people can attest to the existence of a spirit with red hair tips._

_And the grandson of the Young Mistress smiled, sharing a knowing glance with his two companions. In his hands were the scrolls written by his grandmother when she was possessed by the spirit._

"_Do not open the scroll. Guard it with your life. Shika-dono will need it in the future. Our descendants will need it." His grandmother said._

_And the three descendants held their hands together, sharing a mission that the god – Shika no Kami – had assigned them._

**.o0o.o0o.**

**The One Who Yearns for Peace**

Hashirama Senju didn't believe it.

He has heard of the children's stories, about a 'Red-Tipped Shika', 'Shika no Kami', a wandering spirit who helps people fulfill their wish. The shrine of Shika was built in various places, her stories spread and passed down.

He didn't expect the story to be true.

Most of all, he didn't expect the story to come true in the form of a woman wearing a weird clothes with multiple color of hairs.

It seems that 'Red Tipped' refers to how her multiple colored hair ended in a strong blood red.

And he didn't expect her to be hollering at him angrily, even with his wife, Mito Uzumaki, present.

"Did you not listen to me, huh? I told you to give me a few more moments! I am capable enough to talk down the Tailed Beast! What are you thinking, sealing a sentient being? They will be ballistic when they managed to free themselves!"

Hashirama, in the presence that could be considered as god, can only prostrate and ask for forgiveness.

He was fighting against Madara, trying to convince him to stop his attacks, but it was to no avail. Madara had decided to betray Konoha, even going as far as using the Kyuubi to kill him. The moment his wood release pierced Madara's heart, the Kyuubi went into a rampage. Thankfully Mito was nearby, she quickly thought of a seal and sealed the Kyuubi.

Problem was, the moment Madara fell, and Kyuubi went into a rampage, this girl, god, spirit, appeared and told him and Mito to cease all actions, to let her handle the situation.

At that moment, he didn't know that this girl was the 'Red-Tipped Shika', and thought that the Kyuubi was way out of her league, ignoring her in favor of attacking the Kyuubi.

And now the god spirit was hollering angrily.

"Hah… forget it," she sighed, "That fox will be angry either way. He's too willful. Just don't. Don't ever try to seal sentient beings again. It won't end well in the future."

And with that, she disappeared in wisps of mists.

**.o0o.o0o.**

_It was the Kage Meeting, and they were complaining about how unfair it was for Konoha to have a Tailed Beast as part of the military force._

_He swore it was only in the moment of haste, the Kage Meeting was getting out of hand, and he was getting distressed, the promise he made with Red-Tipped Shika was shoved to the back of his mind, and he blurted out a grave promise._

_It was a promise to seal every Tailed-Beast and divide them among the rest of the Great Hidden Village._

_A day after the last of the Tailed Beast was sealed, 9 great shinobis of all the Great Hidden Villages, all 9 well known for their loyalty and services to their own villages, become a traitor._

_They wrecked havoc on the village, killing everyone in their sight until they were killed. When their body was checked, each has a number marked on them._

_The number '9' for the sole traitor in Konohagakure, the number '2' and '8' for the two traitors of Kumogakure, the number '1' on the body of Sunagakure's sole traitor. _

_His blood ran cold. He doesn't need to check the rest of the traitors' bodies to know what happened. The other Kages waved it off, and only he, Hashirama, truly know what was transpiring. _

_For every Tailed Beast in each village, there will be a traitor, their bodies marked with the number of tails of each Village's Tailed Beast._

_And Hashirama belatedly realize just how angry Shika no Kami was with him. _

**.o0o.o0o.**

**A/N:**

**Jessica used the name Shika because the people there found her name odd, so she shortened it into Shika, an easier sounding name for them.**

**Coincidentally, 'Shika' also means deer. so 'Shika no Kami' means Deer god. It becomes her nick name, with her being an untouchable spirit and whatnot. **


	2. Time and Again

**The Ghostly Traveler**

Her life with Kaguya is fun. She provides for her, teaches her about Japanese, about the politics and warfare, about clan management and public relations. She would always open the next page of the book she is reading, because Jessica is a ghost, she can't touch anything. She would spend her time trailing and annoying Kaguya.

_At that time, she didn't know the world she fell into was the world of Naruto, the world of ninjas and chakras and wars and bloodsheds…_

Kaguya is kind, in a way like a kind and understanding sister, and also in an annoying nagging mother way, and Jessica is grateful for that.

And Jessica provides her with a listening ear, and advices in occasional, because those are the only things she can give to Kaguya.

They rely on one another.

_If Kaguya is a source of unlimited power, of yin and yang, of spiritual and mental, then Jessica is the emptiness, nothingness, the __**void**__. They balance each other. In a way, they are similar to yin and yang, to the balance of spiritual and mental energy that was needed to form chakra._

_But Jessica is a mass of conscious spiritual chakra, so perhaps that description doesn't really fit._

Jessica was Kaguya's support when she got engaged. She listens to Kaguya's familial problems. She provides Kaguya with stories and entertainment as she got pregnant and was restricted only in her room.

And when the first child was born, a set of twins, complete with Otsutsuki's trademark horns and grey skin, Jessica was in awe at Kaguya's expression of fondness and care, as if the two babies were her world – her universe.

She named the baby Hagoromo and Hamura– Hagoromo and Hamura Otsutsuki.

_Jessica lightly joked that she might be unable to help Kaguya with the babies, since she is a single and unable to come in contact with anything. Kaguya just shook her head exasperatedly, saying that she will be appointing Jessica as her children's teacher when the time comes. Kaguya laughed when Jessica blanched in horror._

_But as it turns out, teaching the twins were not as traumatic as she thought it would._

At that time, she still had not realized who they are, what roles they play in this world.

She mentored the two sons, and they grow and grow and grow…

And then the both of them discovered the skills they had – chakra manipulation – a skill that only Kaguya, eater of the Shinju Fruit, should have.

Years of being labeled as strongest, as Rabbit Goddess, took a huge hit, and it was her sons who were threatening her position. Madness spurned with jealousy and power and the sadness that the realization that it was actually the sons that she loved oh-so-much…

And so, begins Kaguya's descent to insanity.

_She tried to stop her, she really did. She reasoned to Kaguya that perhaps it passed down to the generations, that it is normal, and that she doesn't need to be worried because no matter what Kaguya was the one who ate the Shinju Fruit so she was always, will always be the strongest._

Kaguya didn't take any of that.

And before she knew it, Kaguya became a monster and her two sons fought against her and then she was sealed inside Hagoromo and then she was left alone in this world with no way back to her own world and _only Kaguya have the power to rip dimensions_ and _oh god_ with Kaguya sealed _how_ _can Kaguya keep her promise to return her home_…

And she mourned and cried and Hagoromo and Hamura tried their best to cheer her up and apologize for their actions but then, they needed to do it because otherwise who knows how many lives will be taken by Kaguya…

_But wait_… Jessica had thought… _doesn't this story a bit familiar?_

A mother who ate fruit of a divine tree to end war, who has sons she became jealous of and she ended doing genocide but was then sealed by her son….

_Ah_… Jessica belatedly realized… _It's the story of Sage of Six Paths, from the anime Naruto…_

And then she felt even worse and cried even louder and Hagoromo became even more panicked because _damn_ he did not have any lessons on how to handle_ crying untouchable woman_ and Hamura had already given up because she just kept on getting louder and louder and _louder…_

And finally, like water bursting from a dam, she blurted everything out, about the anime Naruto, the Tailed-Beast, and _oh god_ Kaguya will come back in the future to destroy the world and that this is just so _messed up_ and _damn_ she should have realized this sooner and _how could she return back to her own world without Kaguya's help?_

And Hagoromo, sitting silently by the side as she continued her tirade, in a way, was comforting.

_No, not Hagoromo, it's Sage of Six Paths._

**.o0o.o0o.**

_Since the first time Jessica opened her eyes in this world, she had always wondered why is the dark sky so blank? There's something very important that is missing in the night sky…_

_The moon…_

Ever since sealing the Ten Tails inside Hagoromo, he went travelling around the continent, teaching and sharing chakra to the people. The Otsutsuki Clan remained in their beloved cave, restoring and recovering the damage of the Ten Tail's attack.

Jessica, on the other hand, continued to wander aimlessly, sometimes she searched for Hagoromo just to annoy him, other times she just float around in the air doing nothing…

_And then she realized she became sleepy, and slumbered for the 50 years to come. But when Jessica opened her eyes, expecting to see the blank night sky, what she saw was the huge silverish orb far, far up in the sky…_

_The moon…_

She found Hagoromo surrounded with the nine Tailed Beasts as he taught the beasts the human language, his body clearly becoming weaker and weaker.

The Ten Tailed Beast had been separated into ten parts. 9 of them were the Tailed Beasts, who prowled on the lands, the 10th part, the skeletons, was thrown high, high up in the night sky…

_As the moon._

'Old man', that's what she called him. It's the truth no matter how much Hagoromo tried to deny it. His body, which was supposed to live up to thousands of years, no longer held the youth and power ever since Hagoromo created the moon. Hamura came to visit, but he was still as young as ever.

And for the first time, she met Hagoromo's children, Indra and Azura, who were already full grown men. The two were baffled by her appearance and mannerism as she teased Hagoromo and Hamura endlessly. Indra, in particular, became enraged at the blatant disrespect she was showing Hagoromo.

Indra's and Azura's expression upon being told that she was actually their mentor was worth remembering.

Hagoromo passed away few days later, naming Azura as his successor.

The whole Otsutsuki Clan went to the moon few days later, Hamura carrying Hagoromo's dream for peace.

But Indra…

Jealousy, burned by hatred and thirst for power grew and flourished in him.

_Just like Kaguya…_

And the feuds between Uchiha and Senju started before the name 'Uchiha' and 'Senju' became their clan name.

The only thing she can do was to promise to Hagoromo's grave that she'll try to stop the both of them.

**.o0o.o0o.**

The Tailed Beast separated way, dispersing into the world in an attempt on familiarizing with humans and their environment. There were several attempts of the Tailed Beast trying to aid a human, only to have the human in a fright at their size and intelligence.

And all that was left for her to do was to bother each and every Tailed Beasts, or just do nothing at all. Sometimes she tried to mend the Uchiha's and Senju's relationships without revealing herself, but _still_, it was kind of hard because she _can't_ hold a pen to write.

And then she found out she can possess humans.

The first host was an unconscious and injured human girl she found lying on the forest. Possessing her was an accident, but she didn't regret it because she finally felt _alive_ once more. She can _feel_! She can _touch_!

But it was soon forgotten since her head was throbbing very badly and she can feel the pain in her ribs and the bear bite marks on her arms.

She quickly went to the nearest village and asked for treatment.

At first, she was overwhelmed with the worry that the villagers showered her, but it seems like this girl was known to be an angel in the village, so she let them be. It didn't hurt that her treatment was actually free. And then her real trouble comes when it comes to possessing someone she didn't know…

"Sis! Sis!"

A family member – a young boy – started asking about her. Is she fine? Does it hurt? Dad was worried! And is the bear very scary?

Jessica was at lost at how to react, but there was that urge, as if she knew really well about what she is doing, as if it was a habit grained deep in her mind, but in actuality, it doesn't.

She ducked her head with a blush, muttering a low apology and assuring him that she is indeed fine, before silently walking behind her brother.

Jessica, in her entire live, had never ducked down in the presence of a male; she was silent and contemplative, _not_ submissive. But somehow, this urge…

A subconscious tug, perhaps she doesn't need to worry about being out of character by too much. She decided to stay longer.

But to her eternal horror, this body that she was borrowing was actually going to get married to a greedy fat noble as a concubine.

She decided then and there that she is leaving, no matter what.

Her first plan was to leave the body she was possessing, but at that time, she was still new in all of this and how in the world could she know about how her possession works?

If she failed to leave the body, just remain in the body and run the hell away, because no way was she getting married, not even if she was given tons of gold, not even if her husband is a bishounen of the right age trying desperately to get her attention. The most she would do was just to reconsider him.

She found out that the body has chakra running, but her spiritual chakra mingled a little with the mental energy of the body. And she ripped them apart, her ghostly form thrown out of the body, and the girl was left with no memories of her possession.

The girl moved on, a little bit drowsy but otherwise she was fine. She continued on, as if Jessica had never possessed her, as if she knew what Jessica did during her possession even though it was only unconsciously, as if Jessica's actions during her possession was actually her actions.

But she can feel it, the remains of her own chakra mingling with the girl's spiritual energy. She can still control them; it still bends around according to her wishes.

And the girl froze and moved in a way that Jessica wanted her to move.

Like a puppet

_A puppet without strings._

Puppets who doesn't even realize that they are a puppet.

_(And that was how she made 9 great loyal shinobis destroy their own beloved village.)_

**.o0o.o0o.**

Her first ninja possession was a Hyuuga child by the name Ryuugo Hyuuga. She didn't know he was a Hyuuga at first, because the boy was unconscious and bleeding. She just possessed the child and went to the nearest medic.

She learned how to control chakra, how to fight effectively because at that time the Gentle Fist style was not yet formed, how to actually act like a boy to her eternal embarrassment, and how to use the Byakugan. She learned effectively of the difference between a normal human and a ninja.

But then the parents and elders of her host started pestering her about marriage and she was horrified at the thought of _marrying a woman_ when she was actually a woman _herself_.

She left the body.

But then she realized, life is going on smoothly. She could see that Hyuuga stoniness in the boy, together with the slight mischievous streak he had when she possessed him, and also, there was a bit of her personality in that Hyuuga boy.

That is something she knew will happen if she went as far as possessing a young child and grew up as part of the child.

**.o0o.o0o.**

Another of her memorable possession was when she possessed a certain woman.

She grew up with a man who she felt comfortable with. There certainly was love, but she was unsure of what kind of love she felt. Is it friendship? Familial? Lover?

And unexpectedly, the man proposed to her and, with a red face, she actually accepted the proposal. She became part of his clan of blacksmiths, reining an unexpectedly clingy and possessive husband.

It was… embarrassing, but she can't say she hated her time as a wife.

It came as a shock to her when one day, when she was done picking berries with fellow wives, she came back to ruins of her village, with Shukaku the One Tailed Beast roaring, sand dancing around wildly, crushing and turning everything into a big whole mess.

The body went into shock, and Jessica tried desperately to mend the mind back together, but it was useless, the mind of this body was broken beyond repair, she can't do anything anymore but to leave the body.

But how can Shukaku, who belongs to the desert, stand here within fogs and mists? Shukaku loves staying in hot, dry, windy, sandy place, so why bother going to somewhere far away where everything is wet and cold and moist?

The answer came in one word: _**Kyuubi**_

She should have known better.

_She raided the whole lands in search of Kyuubi to rant on him, but she never mentioned her encounter with the man she planned to spend the possessed body's life time with. She never told anyone about the person she became close to during her possessions._

And then her name, Jessica Huang, became only Shika. It was only coincidence that Shika means Deer. She has no prior connection to a deer.

**.o0o.o0o.**

Jessica became a wife, a warrior, a blacksmith, a dancer, a wife of the 'blessed' clan, a tavern owner, one of the 'blessed' clan members, a princess, a healer, a loyal maid, a samurai…

She no longer remembered just how many identities she took, but she did remember that one time she tried to possess a bear cub and a flying eagle. The muscle movements came hard when she tried to control it consciously. It was a mess because the eagle fell and splattered to the ground and she still possessed the eagle.

It was painful.

_And then she helped the three avenging merchants that will rise into a powerful clan in the far-far future. She taught the merchants how a man from a 'blessed' clan thinks, how a 'blessed' clan operates, how to survive and how to fight, how to handle the normal people when you are part of a 'blessed' clan, how chakra works and how to use them… _

_They succeeded their goals, and built shrine and glorified her name even though she was red faced and insisted they stop, because how could she rest calmly when there are desperate people coming to her shrine? She'd be tempted to help them._

_The three of them shared a wry grin. She left them to do what they want, but in return, she requested the three of them, together with their descendants, to guard a set of scrolls._

_The scrolls were written in a language she knew almost as well as her Korean Language, the English Language, which spoke about whatever she could recall about the timeline in Naruto's world, which was a lot, as she followed the story closely._

_Just in case if she forgot. No one can possibly decode an entirely new language after all. And she knew the three clans will guard it zealously._

And the name 'Shika no Kami', 'The Red-Tipped Shika' spread. Shika became considered as a god who listens to their wishes and desires, who brings justice to the people, who protects and guides the lost doe.

'Shika no Kami', the god who grants wishes.

Her shrine immediately became popular.

_And Jessica cursed the three clans under her breath for made up stories and major exaggerations in the stories that really did happen. She shouldn't have left them to their own device._

**.o0o.o0o.**

Less of her time was spent possessing a body, and she was always spending her time fulfilling wishes.

She didn't fulfill all of the wishes. There were those who made stupid wishes, and those who made selfish wishes, those who wish for other's misfortune and those who wished for something impossible.

There was one who comes to her shrine asking for the success of his new slave trading business. The next night, his slave trading business plunged for the worst, and the slaves managed to escape.

There was a worried mother who brought in an alive, yet unresponsive baby. She gave the baby a bit of her spiritual chakra and that sheen of light returned to the baby's eyes.

There was someone who wished her brother to be healed from whatever sickness it was. The next morning, a bottle and a description of how to use it were placed in an open window.

And there was once, a memorable wish, belonging to an orphan boy who pledged for power for him to avenge his family who was burned to ash by his uncle.

_The first wish Shika granted, after all, was the wish to fulfill a revenge, as long as the revenge is righteous, she found no mistake in doing so. Shika was a god of wishes after all, as long as the wish is righteous and possible enough._

To him, she became a teacher, a guide, a companion, and a spy in his quest of revenge.

Faintly, she wondered of the unborn Uchiha boy who will pledge for revenge to a man who destroyed his clan. Will he, too, come to this shrine?

**.o0o.o0o.**

**The Three Clans**

He was sleeping when he met her.

_Her hair multiple shades of blonde and brown, before ending in such a strong blood red._

He has never seen her, never knew of her, so why would he dream about this stranger? Why was she so detailed and vivid? Why was she wearing clothes that were to foreign for him?

Yamanakas prided themselves in their mind organization. He had never seen her, so that left only one possibility.

_Mind Possession _

"_Who are you?"_

"_I'd like to borrow your body."_

And the strings of his body's control were snatched. He felt his physical eyes opening, his body standing up, and then his legs stepping and stepping and stepping…

Meanwhile, he was here, struggling desperately to take over what was his. He tried to thicken his mind's defense, he tried to form mental attacks against the intruder, and he tried to block her strings against his body.

But it was all _futile_.

He was the Head of Yamanaka Clan, prodigy in the art of mind possession, so how could a stranger defeat him in mental skills so easily?

"_There's no need to worry," _the womanly voice said, _"I have no negative intention."_

And he cannot do anything other than to wait and watch what his body was doing from inside his mind. The Shika Shrine came into view, and his body entered it. Shika Shrine was a holy place, only the Head of Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi can enter.

_What would this stranger need in this recently built shrine?_

_**The Forbidden Scrolls**_

The scrolls that was passed down, generation to generation, the scroll that his late father told to guard, the duty that he shared together with the Nara and Akimichi, the scrolls that they kept secret and forbidden to open, the scrolls that they had just moved into this particular shrine together with their clan admittance to Konoha…

There must be something inside, a jutsu, a technique, a forbidden story, a secret…

_Shit_, he's _not_ going to let this stranger place a hand on those scrolls.

"_Calm down,"_ the woman's voice resounded once more, _"I just need to check on some things inside the scrolls. I'm worried that I might forget some things."_

_That's right… calm down… there were seals inside, pass codes which no one outside of Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi knew of._

There was a small statue of a deer and a woman. People believed Shika no Kami took the form of a Deer, therefore they are more prone to choose deer, while in actuality, Shika is a human woman. This fact was only known to the three of them. All that was needed was a drop of blood and a little chakra pulse while in contact with the human statue.

The intruder did exactly just that. And the seal opened, the place shifted, revealing an underground path.

"_How-"_

**.o0o.o0o.**

_She did not want Madara to know of her existence, but she needs to somehow save Kurama from being sealed. Being sealed only made assembling the 9 Tailed Beasts harder; therefore the harder it was to summon Kaguya back._

_So she strived for that._

_When Hashirama, the First Hokage of the first Hidden Village sealed Kurama into Mito, his wife, she was angry, so she ranted and ranted and forced Hashirama to made an oath that he will __**not**__ seal any sentient being anymore._

_But then, he __**broke**__ his oath for the sake of calming the remaining Hidden Villages. For the sake of something as stupid as 'equality', so that the other nations will not try to attack Konohagakure because Konoha is way too strong._

_Did he not realize that war damages are the greatest if two villages have the same power? That there will be less damage if only one nation triumphed them all? She admits that it was unfair, but it was in this way that there will be less war._

_And it was in this way that she can return Kaguya easier._

_So she left some of her spiritual energy in 9 strong shinobis, and when the last of the Tailed Beasts was sealed, chaos blooms, and the Hidden Villages burns, and 9 loyal shinobis was labeled traitor._

_**Even when they were merely puppets.**_

**.o0o.o0o.**

Inozo Yamanaka sighed into his pipe, relishing the moment of peacefulness that finally reigned in the Elemental Nations.

It was a first for everything. Back then, before Konoha was even built, it was days and days of continuous tension and war. There was unrest, looking out for the direction of the war and doing their best to avoid it. The war between Uchiha and Senju dragged a lot of the other clans.

Thankfully, Shikato proposed a treaty with the Senju. They will aid any injured Senju clan member they see, in turn that the Senju clan warn them of their plan. He made it clear that they have no wish whatsoever to get involved in the war.

Senju accepts.

It was one of the reasons they can be here, inside Konoha.

But the recent event of betrayal…

_9 great shinobi from all Hidden Village was subdued and killed for genocide._

Currently he was in the sacred ground, Shrine of Shika no Kami, one of the grounds that Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi shared within Konoha. He stood in front of the small shrine, relishing every detail that happened few nights ago, before the 9 Betrayals, when Shika no Kami came to check the scrolls.

Somehow, he has a feeling that Shika no Kami was somehow involved in the betrayals. The timing was just so… coincidental.

He observed the small statue of the human girl, finally realizing the uncanny similarity between this statue that was made hundreds of years ago and the girl who had visited him in his dreams.

There were many mentions of how Shika no Kami influenced the three clan, but Inozo has always considered them as fake. He believed there was no god, and even if there is, they won't place themselves low enough to mingle with humans.

So that night was… a revelation for him.

_Yamanaka's Mind Techniques was modeled after Shika no Kami, who can possess people with ease._

That was also true, after all. The Yamanaka Technique holds no candle against Shika no Kami's skills.

He felt someone behind him. _Heavy steps, strong and sturdy…_

"Chouruo? What brings you here?"

The Yamanaka's instinct went haywire when Chouruo smiled in that odd, weird way, so different to how Chouruo would usually smile. Shikato entered the shrine too, eyes trailing after Chouruo in that _suspicious, suspicious_ way that the Nara only makes when there was something seriously wrong.

Chouruo ignored the trickling tension. He turned towards the statue, prickling his finger jerkily with a kunai, as if he was unaccustomed by the movements, as if his body was not his body at all, and then smearing blood on the statue of the girl.

"Chouruo," Shikato drawled, "What are you doing? There's practically nothing down there."

Chouruo ignored him as he went down the underground path, Inozo and Shikato following closely after closing the entrance. There was a silent agreement between the two of them, and that they were going to confront Chouruo down there.

Chouruo went to the end of the path, unlocking the seals and opening the huge chest. Eyes darting around the chest in search of something before Chouruo finally took out a scroll.

Shikato stretched his shadow, stopping Chouruo from unfurling the scroll, but oddly, there was no struggled coming from Chouruo.

Chouruo sighed uncharacteristically, before looking at Inozo, as if waiting for him to explain the situation. Inozo ignored that in favor of his tingling paranoia. He used his mind jutsu against Chouruo.

For a moment, all he saw was haze, mist, fog, and then there was a figure – Shika no Kami – before he was promptly thrown out of Chouruo's mind.

Inozo stumbled, but otherwise he kept his balance. Shikato sent a worried glance his way.

"Shikato, let Chouruo go." Inozo rasped out, "It's Shika no Kami."

Shikato furrowed his brows, and Inozo could see that his genius Nara brain turning to make a connection between the dots, before Shikato finally let go of his shadow.

"Much better," Chouruo commented with tones and inflections that Chouruo would never use.

Chouruo opened the scroll, rolling it on the ground, revealing words and letters that Inozo remembered seeing on that night. Those writings that was entirely different than their own language. Their own writings were full of elegance, tiny inflections and flowing motions, but the writing in the scroll was arranged, several sets of simple characters lined in one horizontal line.

Shikato's eyes trailed at the length of the scroll – the Forbidden Scroll – now laid on the ground and open for him to see.

Chouruo used the finger that he had pricked earlier, crossing out some lines and adding some notes in that same odd language. He rolled back the scroll, returning it to the chest, and taking another thing – a glass bottle – out.

For a moment, Chouruo observed the bottle, turning it around, inspecting it with such sharpness, before thrusting the bottle to Shikato.

"I'd like to see what you three can make out of this." Chouruo said, "It is sweet smelling sake as old as 300 years old, so it's extremely strong and intoxicating. Also, please change the pass code of the inner shrine. That idiotic Hokage know about me, and I don't want him snooping around this particular shrine. Oh, and don't be surprised if that idiotic Hokage landed himself in some embarrassing situations. He was practically asking for it."

There was a pause, and then Chouruo blinked a few times, shaking his head, before coming into full alert. "Why am I inside Shika Shrine?"

And then there was a wisp of smoke, and a girl with red hair tips appeared, feet inches from the ground. "Lastly, the three of you stay strong together, and also your descendants. You have my aid and blessings."

With that, the girl leaned back, passing through the cave wall, before disappearing in wisps.

**.o0o.o0o.**

"_Humans are puny."_

_Somehow, as she lived on, she found herself believing that line Kurama said years ago._

_Long ago, when she was cornered like that, with nowhere to go, she would have stuttered out something unintelligent. But now, she felt that it was just a chore, as if the one blocking were just buzzing flies that don't know when to stop._

_Perhaps that was why she just waltzed into the Yamanaka's body, because either way no one is capable of stopping her possession. Perhaps that was also why she ignored the Nara's inquiries when she possessed the Akimichi's body to check the Forbidden Scrolls, because either way, she can get back to the scroll. She just needed a physical body to unroll the scroll._

_She can possess civilians and children with ease, but those who had mental trainings proved more trouble, especially those she had never possessed. The Yamanaka can form a struggle in the mind, and the Akimichi had decent training courtesy of being close with Yamanaka. It made moving the two shinobis weird and jerky. The muscle memories don't help because they were both trying to get her out._

_Yamanaka can still recall her time possessing him, but the Akimichi doesn't seem to remember. It's the only consolation she had. At least the three clan heads knew of her existence and will not be attacking her when she visited next time…_

_Humans are such a __**chore**__._

_She found herself shivering in discomfort when her mind actually believed it._

_Perhaps that was also why she gave the three of them a bottle of 300 years old brandy that she made a long time ago because she is curious about the taste of the most delicious brandy. Some sort of apology, since she knew she was in the wrong right then for thinking such things._

_But their faces at receiving such impromptu gift from Shika no Kami were worth remembering._

**.o0o.o0o.**

It was an important council meeting. The heads of each clan were talking with one another, but Shikato himself leaned on the table in an attempt to sleep, even though sleep is impossible with all those sounds.

Uchiha Head were having some sort of glaring contest with Tobirama Senju and Hyuuga Head. Inozo took to himself to drag Chouruo to socialize with the Inuzuka, Sarutobi and Kurei Clan Heads.

And then as if there was some sort of curse, Inozo noticed him lazing around and invited the group to his seat. Shikato huffed in exasperation.

"Ugh!" the Inuzuka Head's hand rose to pinch his own nose, "What smell – Oi, Nara! You've been drinking sake before coming here? Why didn't you even invite us over! How did you even find such strong sake?"

Shikato raised his eyebrow, sniffing his arm, smelling the sweet dizzying smell that he had became familiar recently, "I didn't drink sake, I just got an… interesting substance and I've been testing it together with some Yamanakas and Akimichis."

That bottle of strong smelling sweet sake that Shika had given him. He has been trying to incorporate it as a hallucinogen after realizing its strong intoxication properties.

"Such interesting subject it is," Inuzuka snarked, "I guess I'll have to avoid your clan compounds if this kind of smell is thick in the air."

The Hokage entered the room just then, and the clan heads started to return back to their respective places.

"There's a problem that requires your attention," the Hokage started. "We have 5 Great Shinobi Villages, and several minor hidden villages, all accounted and their existence recorded."

"What is wrong with that?"

"Copies of this letter were on each of your tables. Please read it." Hashirama gestured to the piece of rolled parchment.

There was a moment of silence as everyone did as told.

"Impossible! Are you saying that there was another shinobi village and we don't know of their existence up till now?"

"There was a probability that this is an elaborate prank."

"There should be signs of a growing shinobi village. We should've been able to notice the discrepancies before the village was fully formed."

"The other Kages also received the same letter," Tobirama interrupted, "sent directly into their own office even though it was well guarded. Its scale is too large to be a prank."

"Yureigakure, Hidden Village of the Ghosts. That's a pretty eerie name."

"Is there something wrong with this letter, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes," Hashirama answered, "this letter was actually sent a few years ago. We thought that this was an elaborate prank in the beginning, but we still keep a lookout. It was only recently that we are able to confirm the existence of the village."

Tobirama continued for his brother, "My squad was doing a scouting mission slightly outside Land of Fire when we saw Kiri shinobis attacking someone we assumed as civilian, as he held no ninja head band. But this civilian moved like a seasoned shinobi and knew taijutsu and earth jutsus, and has excellent genjutsu skills. We decided to stay back and watch."

"The man was overwhelmed by Kiri shinobis and was injured badly. We saw no point in aiding him as he is not Konoha nin. But then, his chakra became weird, spiking and plunging in an abnormal rate, and his movements started to change. It was like a berserker, his body was unhindered by pain and exhaustion. We decided to detain him after he got rid of Kiri nins. The man was now chained in the hospital for Chakra Exhaustion, but my squad is guarding." Tobirama ended his brief report.

"And how did you decide that he comes from Yureigakure?"

"Before he went berserk," Tobirama answered, "He said, '_I guess my errands for Jessica-sama and Yureigakure will be unfinished. Hopefully, the only one to join the Lake of Blood is your blood.'_."


End file.
